6 Month - 1 Year - 3 Year - 5 Year Level

Terry McBurney · From: Houston, TX

Where were you in the different time periods in your learning PSG and the personal satisfaction that you attained?

The given assumption is that you consistently practiced...

When did the "light bulb" come on regarding tunings, chords, becoming one with the instrument?

Thank you for your input.

Eric West · From: Portland, Oregon, USA, R.I.P.

I think the "light bulb" came on for me when A local buddy, Larry Behm remarked about the worn out, beat up, and trashed state of my old Pro III.

A subsequent trip to the mirror tipped me off that after 25 years of playing it in every type of band you can imagine, for every kind of wages, from hundred dollar bills to rabbit skins, and sleeping in places I never even thought I'd ever be, much less sleep in, and working full time day jobs the whole last 15 years of playing 3-8 nites a week, I think that at long last, I've indeed become "one" with it.

I seriously think about 5 years got me to where I was comfortable with most of the positions, tuning problems, etc.

Don't be in a hurry.

Sidney Malone · From: Buna, TX

Well I started out with very little music knowledge and proceeded to try and "memorize" tab and video instruction for 2 years before I determined this was a dead end road. It was very similar to going into battle blindfolded with a BB gun.

I was on the verge of quitting steel and had just about decided to stick to playing bass when a friend of mine (Pee Wee Whitewing)told me to call Maurice Anderson and talk to him. I didn't know Reece or anything about him but I did know how great a player Pee Wee was and valued his advice.

So I called Reece and was very impressed with him on the phone. We then set up a time for me to take some lessons and I was blew away. I could not ask for a better teacher or a nicer person.

I decided I had wasted the first 2 years of my practicing, studying in a way that leads to nowhere. Since studying with Reece for the first time (1996) I really enjoy playing now and am free to be creative instead of playing what someone else has created.

Within about 6 mo. after the lessons I was really feeling good about my accomplishments and since then it's been a matter of practice, practice, practice. I found my mental thought process was far ahead of my physical ability which can only be equalized by practicing. To this day it's still that way but the gap is continually closing. When the gap does close, then it will be time to advance my thought process again and the physical parts will once again be playing catch up. I feel for me this is the only way I can continue to get better and reach new levels of playing. I hope that makes sense.

I'm now at 7 years since lessons and am so far ahead of where I would have been otherwise. It still takes practice and dedication but I believe practicing with the right tools speeds the process up immeasurably.

I now believe that a good teacher is worth more than all the videos and tab in the world. Or at least thats the way it is for me.

Good Luck!!

Marc Friedland · From: Fort Collins, CO

Terry,
When I got my 1st psg about 9 to 10 years ago, I was out performing (and I use the term very loosely) with a band within two weeks. I was lucky I if I remembered the names of the strings, let alone be able to add to the music the band was playing. My first goal was I wanted to be "very terrible" within one year. My next goal was to be extremely bad within the next year. In my own warped mind I did achieve these goals because they were realistic and because I practiced about 4 or more hours every day. Well it's about 9 years later and since I don't find the time to practice and perform quite as much as I first did, I'm somewhere between "inspired but below average" and "not too bad". I believe it's difficult to stay the same at anything and since I don't want to get any worse, my immediate goal is to play and practice enough to at least keep making gradual improvements. If I receive any recognition or milestones along the way, than that's great, I'd gladly accept them, but I'm simply communicating through music and totally enjoying the scenery of the ride. As a matter of fact, although this is very entertaining, if I want to achieve my modest goal, my time would be more wisely spent practicing then talking about it, so I'll keep this short.
By the way Terry, I know where Mt. Pleasant, TX is, as my wife and I performed there at the Holiday Inn in 1985 or 86. We basically played top 40 rock & pop, and very little country at the time.
-- Marc

David Weaver · From: Aurora, CO USA

This is a fun topic to think about. Thanks for bringing it up.

I've been at it "serious" for about 3 years. I record and play back to hear how I am doing. I have, in the past year, begun to record then actually tolerate what I hear. In other words, with songs that I have been practicing, I sound like a steel guitar should sound...sort of...and I am starting to enjoy not only playing, but listening to what I play when I record it.

I've gone through a lot of phases and stages in terms of practice focus. Right now, I am learning scales again. To do this I got out my Newman AB pedal book and instead of trying to learn the fills, I drill the scales that are in the front of the book as well as some others.

I learn slow and practice a fair amount. Doug Beaumier's beginning speed lick exercises are another daily part of my routine right now. I also am starting some C6 scales although the C6 neck is not familiar to me.

I remember a couple of years ago saying that my goal is to be able to do fills and some solo parts on slow country songs. I feel that I can do that now with some success.

I think playing an instrument is like a lot of other things. There needs to be that time...and mine has not come yet...where you feel like you are the one in command and not the instrument. This is true of a lot of things. Sailing, speaking a foreign language, flying...etc, etc. It's that time where you really get the fact that you are smarter than the guitar, boat, airplane, etc and YOU are the one in charge.

Dick Meis still tells the story of when he was young and in a band, a guy walked up to him while he was playing and said "Is your name Dick Meis?" Dick looked up and said, "Well....yes..." The guy then barks at him, "Well,them PLAY that @$#$^%#%@& THING!!" He has ever since.

Terry McBurney · From: Houston, TX

I really really (that means a lot!) enjoy the personal comments you are making...thank you.

Someone said, "success...is being willing to do what the unsuccessful is NOT willing to do"...in this case, practice and more practice. Although I have invested in videos, I am investing tomorrow in a four hour session of "live" teaching because I want to learn correctly rather than having to break bad habits.

I was listening to a CD today on the way back to the shop from a business appointment and so admired the gentleman who was playing...what an encouragement!

The PSG is such a beautiful instrument.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Here's an "imaginary timeline" that might fit someone out there. Me? Heaven's no.

At 6 months, you're still playing only in your house, and you should know how to tune acceptably, and what all the pedals and levers do, and you should be able to do some decent back-up work in simple songs.

At one year, you should be able to do a decent job on a few instrumentals, and all the standard grips should be coming into play. Your first real "band job" comes along about this time

At 3 years, you're really getting confident, and should have no problems playing in most bands. Your playing is getting smoother, and your "style" is about 90% "there".

At 5 years, you feel you are ready for just about anything, and you're beginning to come up with your own cool licks. You also have very little trouble copying licks off of other players.

At 10 years, you begin to expand your musical horizons, and you experiment with many different types of music. By this time, you've been in many bands, and know exactly how everything's supposed to sound.

At 20 years...man you're there! Your ability has just about peaked, and the search for "finesse" takes over. You practice everything to the Nth degree, not because you can't do it, but because you know it could still be a little better.

At 25 years, you're "coasting", and some of the things you could do automatically at lightning speed begin to get a little harder. You begin to wish you could remember how to do all the things you know you used to do.

At 30 years, your "edge" is drifting away. People still compliment your playing, but you remember when it was better. Them "young kids" are playing hot as a firecracker, and playing Rocky Top at "warp speed" isn't as much fun anymore. You begin to realize how much you still don't know...and never will. You wish you could remember some of the neat things you used to do. People remember them...so you must have done them?

At 35 years, the music you loved is gone, many of your friends and fellow pickers are gone, and people ask "Do you still play out?" You think to yourself, "yeah...everything I do makes me feel played out".

At 40 years, you begin to think how important that it's been to you, and how much you really enjoyed playing good music. Sometimes, you get the bittersweet comment from someone half your age "My dad told me all about you, he said you used to be great!" Thanks kid...I needed that.

At 45 years, you can no longer remember every song intro, or every place you played, or every record you ever cut. But, as luck would have it, there's some "smart-aleck" out there on the internet who does. (He must be 100.)

At 50 years, you begin "downsizing", and all the extra guitars and amps have to go. But you'll keep at least one of each so you can play in your house...like you did 50 years ago.

Terry McBurney · From: Houston, TX

Beautiful!

Pat Carlson · From: Sutton, Nebraska, R.I.P.

Terry I have been playing Pedal Steel for about 5 months now with very little previous mucic experience.Have found time to practice regularly this winter.I just memorized the little box G-C-D-A.Have just started using the E knee lever.Can pick with less stumbling all the time.This is rewarding!!

DroopyPawn · From: Fox, OK, USA

I got my first pedal steel, Sho-Bud Pro II, about 10 years ago, tried if for a few months, then gave up. Got an MSA Classic 12 about 4 years ago and gave up within a few months. Got a Carter Start just to resell, tried it for a month or so (until it sold) and gave up. Got my current guitar, Sierra Session 12 about a year ago or maybe a little longer. Started thinking about correct blocking style and tuning copedants about 6 months ago and that's when I had a mental breakthrough. Now I'll probably be selling the the Sierra because I'm having a new Keyless Session 12 made. I'll not be giving up on this one - I think I'm in there now. Just need my hands and feet to catch up with my brain.

------------------

Gary Shepherd
Sierra Session 12
www.16tracks.com

Joerg Hennig · From: Bavaria, Germany

I haven´t been playing PSG for very long yet, about three and a half years now and it´s still very unpredictable; on some days I feel real confident as if I´d been doing it all my life and everything goes great. Then I feel right "at home" on the necks, can nail the licks I hear on the records and sometimes even embellish tunes with stuff I make up on the spot. On others, however, it´s a desaster, I just feel insecure, keep hitting the wrong notes and it´s like the guitar is fighting me. My ambition at this point is just that the latter case will gradually diminish and the first will become normality. I know that, if I want to get anywhere, I must NEVER give up practicing.
(I edited the first part because I just realized... don´t know if I´ll actually live up to what I wrote. Basically, I said that some players I know who have been at it for a long time are not necessarily at the respective level (like Donny described) because they let regular practicing slip after the first couple of years and didn´t progress much from then on. However, having started somewhat late and knowing my indolent nature, it just might happen that a couple of years from now I just won´t have the drive to constantly go through the effort of learning a bunch of new things. But maybe not. The future´s uncertain, don´t you know.)

Regards, Joe H.

[This message was edited by Joe Henry on 28 March 2003 at 12:30 PM.]

[This message was edited by Joe Henry on 30 March 2003 at 10:41 AM.]

Garth Highsmith · Posted 28 Mar 2003 3:07 pm

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[This message was edited by Garth Highsmith on 09 January 2006 at 08:32 PM.]

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